Gold medalist in Turin in 2009 and Paris in 2011, Renaud Lavillenie arrived to Gothenburg seeking a pole vault hat-trick.
He left with the title safe intact after a superb display from the Frenchman who won with 6.01m, but was so close to thinking he had cleared 6.07m.
The bar wobbled and did not fall off but was still called as a foul because it had moved to another part of the frame which had stopped it dropping down.
Although it took him a moment to get over this unfortunate decision, it did not take away the delight of Lavillenie’s victory as he defeated Bjorn Otto, who was second with 5.76m, taking silver from his fellow German Malte Mohr on countback.
“The gold medal was the most important thing and I got it with a huge performance,” said Lavillenie
